CDS General Anil Chauhan Reveals Why Nehru Pursued 1954 Panchsheel Agreement with China

Dehradun: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Friday provided historical insights into India's approach to its border with China, highlighting the motivations behind the 1954 Panchsheel Agreement and India's recognition of Tibet as part of China.

Speaking at the Bharat Himalayan Strategy Forum in Dehradun, General Chauhan explained that following India's independence, the departure of the British left New Delhi to define its strategic frontiers. He noted that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was aware of the McMahon Line in the eastern sector and certain claims in Ladakh, but the central sector (including areas in present-day Uttarakhand) lacked a clear, formally settled boundary.

Nehru, according to the CDS, sought to foster amicable ties with the newly established People's Republic of China. In 1954, India formally recognised Tibet as part of China, and the two nations signed the Panchsheel Agreement — officially known as the Agreement on Trade and Intercourse between the Tibet Region of China and India — which outlined five principles of peaceful coexistence.

Chauhan stated that India interpreted this pact, along with the identification of six key passes for trade and pilgrimage (Shipki La, Mana, Niti, Kingri-Bingri, Lipulekh, and Dharma), as effectively settling the northern border through a formal understanding. However, China maintained that the agreement was strictly limited to trade matters and did not address or reflect its position on the boundary.

The CDS pointed out that both sides had incentives for stability in the region. For China, following its incorporation of Tibet (which it termed "liberation") and advances into Lhasa and Xinjiang, the Himalayan area represented a remote and sensitive frontier requiring calm. For independent India, abandoning inherited British privileges and enclaves was part of building constructive relations with its neighbour.

With China's control over Tibet, the traditional "Himalayan buffer" between India and Tibet disappeared, transforming it into a direct international border. General Chauhan emphasised that this shift made the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the challenging Himalayan terrain a persistent point of sensitivity.

He recalled the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, the deadliest along the LAC in recent decades, in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives defending the nation, with intelligence estimates indicating over 30 Chinese casualties.

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